In Honor of Professor Đorđe Tasić: Life, Works and Echoes

Abstract

Our paper deals with the research into everyday life of the institutionally accommodated elderly and their attitudes towards the coronavirus pandemic. After the pandemic was declared in March 2020, the elderly were recognized as a particularly vulnerable population. In their case, the risk of infection and fatal outcome was considered exceptional in comparison to other age groups. Both in our country and in many others, such discourse in relation to the elderly gave rise to the seemingly paternalistic, and actually repressive practices. Namely, their freedom of movement was restricted, while the ones in institutional care were deprived of direct contact with their family members and friends, all for the purpose of health protection. According to our research hypothesis, this context determined their daily routines and formed their opinions about the danger from the coronavirus. The aim of our research was to examine how the institutionally accommodated elderly lived their everyday lives within the context of the new normal and in what manner they perceived the newly-arising situation. To find an answer to this question, we interviewed eight users of a 1